Trying to improve a dying community

Ever since early 2014, I have desperately tried my hardest to create a gaming community that everyone that enjoy being in.

Of course, I am joining the same “niche” as about a million other gaming communities. But no matter what I try and do, it fails.

At one point, we have had 3 server with 5 game servers and a (imo) a beautiful forum that we could invite the community and let them discuss about the games (inside and outside of the community) but it was never ever used.

Only the staff and myself would post change logs and a odd bit of news, maybe a user would come on and complain about another player on the server but nothing more than that.

So, a couple of months ago, I decided to switch the community to Discord to try and bring in more people. Since Discord appears to be the new “fad” amongst Twitch streamers and professional players, it would only seem fitting to join Discord.

What happens when I let people know about it? No interest whatsoever. They don’t want to join as “it is another thing to sign up for”. And so I wonder, What am I suppose to do?

Am I suppose to do nothing? If I do that, then I would be accused of doing nothing and thus “have no interest in the community” and if I try to make things like Discord exciting by adding gamification to it, then I get shit on more.

What the hell am I suppose to do?

I am out of ideas, out of options, out of time, out of money and out of patience. I am not looking for a “Quick overnight solution”, but I am looking for something that would make community members gather and grow.

So what am I currently doing? Everyday, I am promoting the Discord in our game servers and our Twitter/Facebook account. Sharing and re-tweeting. Trying with all of my might to get community members and I simply cannot get conversions.

Is this my fault?Is this Discord’s fault?Is this my communities fault?Is is X fault?

I don’t know. I maybe blind in seeing it, but it would be nice to know what that could be.